An anode plate used in electrorefining of non-ferrous metal consists of a barrel 102 which has thinned down after a given number of hours use, as seen from a scrap 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, because it is submerged beneath the electrolyte and dissolves therein during the electrorefining operation. The shoulder portions 101 still retain their initial thickness because they are not submerged beneath the electrolyte, wherein the barrel 102 is observed to retain its original outline as illustrated in the drawing, or be transfigured by vigorous dissolution thereof on occasions.
Thereafter, these scraps 100 are pulled out of an electrolytic cell, arranged and then charged in a dissolving furnace for regeneration. These scraps 100 are transported to a predetermined place while maintaining their perpendicular positions with both shoulder portions 101 thereof mounted usually on a chain conveyor or the like. Thereupon, these scraps are transported to the furnace in accordance with either of the following two ways and then charged into the furnace.
The first way comprises pushing a multiplicity of scraps 100 retained in a perpendicular state in an upper-opened trough-shaped container with their respective shoulder portions 101 suspended on the edge portions of the opening of the container, transporting these scrap-charged containers to the furnace by means of a fork lift and charging the scraps into the furnace.
The other way comprises allowing the scraps 100 to take a horizontal position, changing the orientation of every piece of scrap by 180.degree., transporting a predetermined number of thus piled up scraps to the furnace by means of a fork lift and then charging the scraps in the furnace.
In this connection, it is noted that the first way is defective in that when scraps are charged in the furnace the molten bath within the furnace is liable to be scattered over workers, and the furnace wall is liable to be damaged.
Referring to the second way, on the other hand, this method is noted to be defective because when the height of piled up scraps is increased the piled scraps are apt to suffer from deformation during the transportation, because the number of scraps to be charged in the furnace at one time through an inlet port provided at a fixed height of the furnace is limited, and the like.